Next election day should be Coleman's

JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer

Jerry Coleman is modest to a fault. He downplays his heroics in
World War II and the Korean War. As a Marine fighter pilot, he flew
120 missions, received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 13 Air
Medals and three Navy citations. He is the only major-league player
to see combat in two wars.

And you never would know he is one of the deans of major-league
broadcasters.

The 2004 season was Coleman's 32nd as voice of the Padres. Plus,he spent 22 seasons calling the "Game of the Week" on CBS Radio, anassignment that included the playoffs and World Series.

He is one of the most-beloved figures in San Diego, the fans'
connection to the team.

Now, those fans have a chance to pay Coleman back for all he has
meant to baseball and the Padres.

Coleman is among 174 men on the ballot for the 2005 Ford C.
Frick Award, given annually to a broadcaster for major
contributions to the game of baseball.

The award is presented at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in
Cooperstown, N.Y., and the winner is recognized in the Scribes
& Mikemen exhibit in the Library at the National Baseball Hall
of Fame.

In order for Coleman to take his rightful place in Cooperstown,
the fans of San Diego must get involved in a big-time way.

Last year, the selection process changed from a strict committee
vote. Now, fans can go online and vote for their favorite
broadcaster. The top three vote-getters are sent to the selection
committee for a final vote.

Last year, Giants fans flooded the system with votes for LonSimmons and the committee had no choice but to choose Simmons.

In addition, Ted Leitner -- Coleman's longtime partner on Padres
broadcasts -- and John Kentera of The Mighty 1090 have promised to
take up the cause on their shows.

Steve Violetta, executive vice president for business affairs
for the Padres and the man who handles most broadcast details, said
the club has e-mail addresses for 80 percent of its season-ticket
holders and will send out e-mails to them with instructions,
encouraging them to vote for Coleman.

"Jerry deserves this honor so much, and if we can coordinate our
efforts, we can make it happen," Violetta said.

But it needs to happen now.

Coleman will cut his workload in half next season, working only
about 81 games.

So now is the time, fans. Voting ends Dec. 1, so get on board,
log on, vote early and vote often. Make it happen.

Send a clear message to the committee that Coleman deserves to
be honored in the Hall of Fame.

Diamond dust

According to Violetta, the Padres and The Mighty 1090 hope to
have a replacement for Coleman in place by Christmas. Violetta
stressed that when Coleman retires after next season, Leitner will
move into the No. 1 chair. So the club and the radio station are
looking for a hybrid announcer: someone who can do play-by-play,
work a couple of innings as a color guy and work a shift at The
Mighty 1090.

Violetta said the Padres have "been inundated with resumes and
CDs" from potential replacements. And John Lynch, the man in charge
at The Mighty 1090, said, "We're looking for a Carlos Beltran
rather than a Freddy Guzman." Todd Kalas, who finished his seventh
season with the Devil Rays and 12th in the majors, is rumored to be
a candidate. Wayne Hagin of the Cardinals has been contacted, but
the former San Diego State baseball player is under contract in St.
Louis.

Channel 4 Padres analyst Rick Sutcliffe still doesn't have a
deal with the station for next year. He is said to be a strong
candidate to replace Steve Stone as a member of the Cubs' TV team
on WGN. The Dodgers, who must replace Ross Porter, also are
interested in Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe, who also works for ESPN and
ESPN International, said he would prefer to stay with Channel 4 if
a deal can be worked out.

The Dodgers asked for permission to talk to Matt Vasgersian,
the Padres' TV voice on Channel 4. They were denied.

Stone, who quit after nearly 20 years with the Cubs, probably
will end up a member of the Diamondbacks' TV crew.

Fox has coverage of the Saints-Chargers game this Sunday, but
it will be blacked out in San Diego. The announcers are Thom
Brennaman and former El Camino High star "J.C." Pearson.

Channel 4 will carry the San Diego State-Brigham Young football
game at noon Saturday. Tony Bender and Kelly Stouffer are the
announcers.

Ted Mendenhall and Larry Burch have the radio call Friday night
of the Avocado League showdown between No. 1-ranked Carlsbad and
No. 3 Oceanside. Kickoff on 1320 AM is 7:30 p.m.

Reina remembrance

The public is invited to a celebration of life for longtime San
Diego State broadcaster Ron Reina, who passed away last week after
a battle with lung and brain cancer. The celebration is scheduled
for 2 p.m. Thursday at the San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa
Park.

John Maffei's TV/Radio Column appears every Friday. He can bereached at (760) 740-3547 or
jmaffei@nctimes.com
.